MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The naval patrols by Russian and Chinese warships in the northwestern Pacific and the flights by combat aircraft of the two countries over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea were major events for Russia and China, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
"The naval patrol in the northwestern Pacific and a new air patrol by strategic missile-carrying bombers of Russia’s Aerospace Force and bombers of the Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army of China in the airspace over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea proved to be major events. Today we will sum up the results of these measures and discuss plans for the coming year," Shoigu said at a working meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe held via a videoconference.
Russia and China are ramping up the intensity of their joint combat training and the militaries of the two countries "are interacting on the ground, at sea and in the air," the Russian defense chief said.
"Our armed forces are interacting on the ground, at sea and in the air. The number of operational and combat training measures is growing," Shoigu said, noting that Russia and China had held the first ever Sibu/Interaction 2021 joint operational and strategic exercise on Chinese territory this year.
As the Russian defense chief stressed, "trustworthy and friendly relations" between the heads of both states "guarantee stability of the Russian-Chinese tandem even in the pandemic period."
"I am grateful for the attention that you pay to developing military cooperation between the two countries. In a complex epidemiological situation caused by the spread of the coronavirus infection, we continue cooperating fruitfully, seeking to make major emphasis on the practical aspect of joint measures," Shoigu said, addressing Wei Fenghe.